Daily Archives: October 24, 2008

You needn’t become more lame. When people suck or bite or just plainly go the way of the outdated floppy disk, you could hit them with your best shot, but it’s best to strike them where it hurts the most. Their ego.

From the obscured-mean to the blatant-mean retorts to unsolicited come-ons to jabs at someone else’s competency and intellect, the right words in the right combination can do wonders more damage than a wallop to the noggin.

I was at the Z Gallerie store in Alpharetta last weekend and saw this book. I flipped through it and had to possess it. Observe my favorites below. More sophisticated than playground antics of “I know you are but what am I” and more painful than sarcasm, try them out sometime. Really. :

From the chapter on Looks

Tell someone that he or she is, in fact, unsightly:

“You’re dark and handsome. When it’s dark, you’re handsome.”

“I’ve had a lot to drink, and you still don’t look good.”

“You have such a striking face. Tell me, how many times were you struck there?”

“Let me guess: You’re the kid who made a silly face and it stayed that way.”

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Tell someone that you can smell him or her:

“Nice cologne. Must you marinate in it?”

“Just because you can’t smell it doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t suffering.”

“Do me a favor and go through the car wash–without your car.”

<~>

Tell someone that he or she has no sense of style (ever or for the moment):

“Whatever kind of look you were going for, you missed.”

“I’m sure that would look good on someone.”

“Is that fabric fire retardant?”

“We’ve taken a vote: you’re trying too hard.”

From the chapter on The Young and the Old

How to give the old a reality check:

“Is your memory in black and white?”

“Yes, I’ve heard that story before. An hour ago.”

“You know so much. Too bad you don’t remember anything.”

“It must be hard to be nostalgic when you have no memory of your past.”

“You look like a million bucks–all green and wrinkled.”

“Your social security number must be in single digits.”

<~>

How to give the young a reality check:

“You still think you can be anything you want–and get paid for it.”

“You still think you can change the world.”

“You still think you know everything.”

“You’re so young, you think people other than your parents will believe you’re special.”